Judy Yeo

My Brother, Randy Yeo, was diagnosed with kidney disease in January 2016 and needed dialysis or a new kidney to live.  I immediately wanted to be his direct donor.  Initially we were a match but something in Randy’s antibodies changed and in early 2020 we each received a phone call that I could no longer directly donate to Randy.  Our hearts fell, we were devastated we had come so far.  My Kidney Donor Co-ordinator in the same phone call asked me if I wanted to enter into the Paired Kidney Donation Program and I immediately said yes, because I could still help Randy get a kidney and also help someone else who needed a kidney.  In June 2021 Randy and I travelled to Saskatoon and I donated my kidney and Randy received a strong, healthy kidney.  Randy’s transplant was a success and I feel the same as I did before the donation.  If not for the Kidney Paired Program Randy would not be alive today.  I’ve always said through the Kidney Paired Program that Randy received a “hand-picked” kidney that is a better match than mine.  I’ve been in the Kidney Dialysis Ward and I have seen all the people in there who need a kidney.  If I could be a living kidney donor again, I would do it in a heart-beat because you “truly are saving a life”.